8 key numbers in Canada’s mental health report

Only one-third of people with mental illness have reported a recovery to positive mental health

OurWindsor.Ca

The Mental Health Commission of Canada on Thursday released the first stage of its massive report card: 13 ways to measure mental health among Canadians.

Here are eight key points. The top four are flagged as the biggest cause for concern:

1. 16.5 per cent of Canadians caring for a relative reported very high levels of stress.

2. 6.6 per cent of college students reported intentionally cutting, burning, bruising or otherwise injuring themselves in the last 12 months. Eighty per cent said they have never harmed themselves on purpose, and about 20 per cent said they had harmed themselves in the past.

3. Only one-third of people with mental illness reported a recovery to positive mental health.

4. Suicide rates in Canada are stable but higher than other industrialized countries at 10.8 per 100,000 people in 2011. Suicide rates in men are significantly higher than women.

5. Canadians aged 12-19 diagnosed with anxiety or mood disorders rose to 7 per cent in 2012 from 4.7 per cent in 2005.

6. 28.4 per cent report high work-related stress, a substantial portion of them most of the working day.

7. Just over 10 per cent of Canadian adults (15 and older) who are discharged after a mental illness hospitalization are readmitted within 30 days.

8. A positive note: two-thirds of immigrants said they felt a strong sense of community belonging, a number that has increased consistently since 2003.